* 25 Jan 2010 MINIMALISM MEANS NO EXCESS BAGGAGE

* 25 Jan 2010 ☆ The First CrustyCrannyNinjaGranny Blog ☆

subtitle: MINIMALISM MEANS NO EXCESS BAGGAGE

UPDATE: I have been away visiting my new accommodations west of the Severn. I am now returned to east of the Thames to pack up all the wordly goods.
This should take a morning.

MINIMALISM MEANS NO EXCESS BAGGAGE
Having to leave my homeland (Zimbabwe) in short order, I locked up my Zimbo house and left within three days to travel to a strange land - England.

Arriving at Heathrow, with 3 bags of largely useless tropical clothing, (and one totally useless tropical husband - but that's another story for a warmer day) I went in to WH Smiths, bought a map, spread it over my bags, closed my eyes and jabbed my finger down. Where it landed is where we came to.
That was six years, and a different lifetime ago.

Since then I have refused to collect anything other than what is necessary to live reasonably:
A cup, a plate, knife, fork and spoon – and a couple more for friends.
A bed, a sheet, a pillow, a duvet – and a couple more for friends
A sofa – and a couple more chairs for friends
Everything is cheap and cheerful; got for nothing at charity shops.

I refuse to possess anything, ever again, that I will weep for if I lose it.
And I refuse to spend money on anything that won’t cry for me if I die.
Spare money is spent on making memories and friends.

THE BIRD TABLE BLOG

I like animals, I really do. Everything in Nature has a place in my world – even the mosquito who’s bite nearly killed me with malaria; but the five (yes, 5) cats that are having a turf war in my garden I could do without.

“The Minge” at No 26 is a large ginger tom who has treated our garden as his own for the last 6 years. His owners put a bell on his collar because they, too, have a bird table.

I see The Minge’s hunting expeditions as more like the birds having their own Personal Trainer. He keeps the birds keen of eye and acute of ear, with well exercised reactions and strengthened wing muscles. I have never known him to catch a bird, but I have known the MacPyes to play “possum” with him.

“Sooty” is a fluffy white cat who lives with her humorous owners at No 28. I think that Sooty was once a lady for she has a diamantee collar. The Minge tolerates her presence in our garden, but doesn’t welcome it, and she tends to stay away if he’s here. Sooty also has a bell, but is far lazier (or better fed at home) and hardly ever bestirs herself to such feline pursuits as stalking the bird table.

And so, for a last few years our garden, No 24, has been orderly and peaceful. The cats are belled. The birds are safe and very tame; small mice and hedgehogs are happy, as are the Ffoxe family who regularly visit the garden to eat said mice and hedgehogs.

And then, at the beginning of December a family moved in to No 22. Not only do they have two or three, (or maybe four - it’s hard to tell because they are all blonde, have cute crew-cuts and are all much the same size) noisy, shouting, squalling boys, but they also have three noisy, shouting, squalling cats.

These cats wear no bells. Two are very athletic (one a black and white cat, and the other is a white and black cat. Yes! There’s a difference) and the third is a rather elderly, mostly black cat.

As their garden is next to ours, and we don’t have a cat, they looked over at our garden much as the 1890’s Brits looked over at the gold-rich South African Transvaal – easy pickings, desirable territory; just there to be invaded and colonised.

And now our garden is a place of war. The peace is broken by hisses and howls, darting figures, shadowy guerrillas between the bushes, snarls and scowls. And that’s only me; you ought to hear those jolly cats.

I feel for The Minge and Sooty, but at the same time I don’t feel too bad, because so long as the cats are pre-occupied with fighting each other, our small critters are fairly safe and I won’t feel obliged to ask a harassed young mum if she could please bell her cats.

Have a superlovely, delicious day my friends ☆
The Crusty Canny Ninja-Granny xxx

Copyright author 2010